Book of Lamps and Banners

“Kaleidoscopic, dark, and mysterious...This novel is a jaw-punch, written with a snarling grace.”—Paul Tremblay, author of The Cabin at the End of the World

Photographer Cass Neary is desperate to get home, and she’s already lost her camera—like losing a limb. Now her only chance is to cash in on a deal that a friend is about to cut for a legendary illuminated manuscript: The Book of Lamps and Banners. Rumored to have been rescued from the Library of Alexandria, the Book is said to contain ancient esoteric knowledge, even an otherworldly power.

So, when an intruder brazenly steals the manuscript, Cass and her ex-con lover Quinn must get it back-plunging headlong into a shady underworld where antiquarian booksellers, unhinged tech entrepreneurs, and brutal nationalists all converge. This breathless psychological thriller, featuring one of the greatest amateur sleuths of the past decade, could only come from the mind of Elizabeth Hand.